The voices are gorgeous, and perfectly matched. But ultimately it’s the conjunction of sensual beauty and intense sorrow that floors the listener. – Tamara Bernstein,The National Post (Canada).

Much of the credit for this must go to Monica Huggett, who directs Arion to play brilliantly, emotionally, and with impeccable style. Recordings of these ‘Handel’ works are few and far between, so this early-music.com release is of obvious interest to collectors. But, far more importantly, this is an exceptionally fine recital of baroque sacred vocal music that deserves all the recognition it can get. – David Vickers, GF Handel.org (England)

French soprano Agnès Mellon entered in 1980 successively at the Chapelle Royale, directed by Philippe Herreweghe, and at Les Arts Florissants, directed by William Christie. Her career as a soloist has led her to sing under the direction of many noted conductors, such as Gardiner, Malgoire, Koopman, Leonhardt, Sigiswald Kuijken, and René Jacobs.

Agnès Mellon has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert venues, such as the Opéra de Paris, the Théatre des Champs-Elysées, the Salle Pleyel, Carnegie Hall, as well as the Amsterdam’s Concertgebow and Opera and numerous halls in Japan.

Agnès Mellon created her own ensemble “Barcarole ” with harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss and can be thus given to her passion: chamber music with voice. She is accompanied, in her recitals of Lieder and French melodies by various pianists: Claude Lavoix, Jean-François Heisser, Marie-Joseph Jude, Billy Heidi, François Kerdoncuff, Christian Ivaldi and Laure Colladant with the pianoforte. Her discography (over a hundred recordings) covers a broad repertoire.

She is frequently invited as a guest of the academy of French Music in Kyoto, where she gives masterclasses with the professors of the CNSM of Paris.

MATTHEW WHITE, countertenor

Matthew White was born in 1973 and began singing as a treble with St.Matthew’s Men and Boys Choir in Ottawa, Canada. He graduated in English Literature at McGill University and currently studies with Jan Simons in Montreal. His singing career has already taken him all over North America, to Europe, South America, Asia, and New Zealand. Upcoming operatic engagements include work with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, and Chicago Opera Theater. He has also worked for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Cleveland Opera, Opera Atelier, and Pacific Opera Victoria.

On the concert stage he works regularly with groups such as, Bach Collegium Japan, Arion, Les Violons du Roy, Tafelmusik, the Boston Handel & Haydn Society, Le Concert Spirituel, Oregon Bach Festival, the Nederlands Bach Vereniging, the Capella Brugensis, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Poland’s Arte dei Suonatori, Aradia Ensemble, Le Parlement de Musique, the Carmel California Bach Festival, Israel Camerata, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and the Portland Baroque Orchestra. He has also appeared as a soloist at the Vancouver, Boston, and Utrecht Early Music Festivals.

Arion Baroque Orchestra

Arion is a Montreal-based baroque orchestra performing on period instruments. The ensemble was founded in 1981 by flautist Claire Guimond, violinist Chantal Rémillard, gambist Betsy MacMillan and harpsichordist Hank Knox. Claire Guimond has been Arion’s artistic director ever since its first concerts.

From the outset, Arion’s concerts were unanimously hailed for their clarity and gusto as well as their refined and expressive performances, chosen from a vast array of early music works. A meticulous attention to detail has placed Arion’s artistic achievements amongst those of the greatest current early music ensembles.

The orchestra calls upon world-renowned guest conductors to perform vocal and instrumental works in its high-profile series of concerts in Montreal. They include Barthold Kuijken, Monica Huggett, Jaap ter Linden, Daniel Cuiller and Elizabeth Wallfisch.

A recipient of numerous awards and grants, Arion has toured extensively throughout Canada, Europe, Mexico, the United States and Japan.

Arion’s discography features 25 CDs, distributed internationally both as a quartet and in a larger setting with the collaboration of such fine artists as sopranos Agnès Mellon and Suzie LeBlanc, mezzo Kimberly Barber, countertenors Matthew White and Daniel Taylor, baritone Max van Egmond, violinist and conductor Monica Huggett, Barthold Kuijken and Jaap ter Linden, as well as several talented baroque soloists.

Arion is a member of early-music.com, a site committed to the promotion of some of the world’s finest early music artists.